Vermont Senate Votes to Close Nuclear Plant

By MATTHEW L. WALD

Published: February 24, 2010

MONTPELIER, Vt. — In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block a license extension for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials and other problems.

How many windmills will it take to replace the power generated?

EPA's Gradual Phase In of GHG Regs Garners Qualified Praise From Senators

By ROBIN BRAVENDER AND DARREN SAMUELSOHN of ClimateWire

Published: February 23, 2010

Facing mounting pressure from congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the Obama administration yesterday vowed to gradually phase in climate regulations for industrial sources.

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said that no stationary sources will face greenhouse gas regulations this year and that small sources will not be subject to permitting requirements any sooner than 2016. EPA is also considering "substantially" raising the thresholds in its proposed "tailoring" rule to exempt more facilities from requirements that they minimize their greenhouse gas emissions.

If this is meant to appease (as the New York Times notes) politicians concerned about negative economic effects from this regulation, then both the EPA and those politicians clearly misunderstand the enormous economic opportunity created by the innovation required to live in a low-GHG world.

The senators who supported this all seem to be from coal and oil states. I can understand their desire to keep jobs and economic activity in their states. I can't understand why they prefer to keep them in dying industries when they can support policy that helps their constituents find better jobs in growing industries (well, OK, I understand, but am still bewildered by this type of political thinking).

I wonder if the so-called moderates have decided that economic progress is also as bad a thing as social progress.